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United States Patent |
5,186,161
|
Shumock
|
February 16, 1993
|
Modular fireplace
Abstract
A modular fireplace construction utilizes interlocking corner joints in the
fire block area to provide a stable, free-standing base for the smoke
chamber and chimney sections above. Individual sections are cast from an
extremely heat resistant composition containing Luminate cement and
Perlite aggregate. The completed fireplace does not require the addition
of a flue liner. Dowel apertures may be formed in the individual sections
which receive handling dowels to enable assemblers to easily lift and
accurately place the sections during assembly.
Inventors:
|
Shumock; Mark J. (Warrington, PA)
|
Assignee:
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Pyro Place, Inc. (Warrington, PA)
|
Appl. No.:
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745394 |
Filed:
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August 15, 1991 |
Current U.S. Class: |
126/500; 52/592.1 |
Intern'l Class: |
F24B 001/18 |
Field of Search: |
126/500
52/20,21,593-595
98/58
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
4478208 | Oct., 1984 | Pita | 126/500.
|
4686807 | Aug., 1987 | Newsome | 126/500.
|
4805591 | Feb., 1989 | Pitha | 126/500.
|
4984562 | Jan., 1991 | Pedersen et al. | 126/500.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
2381974 | Oct., 1978 | FR | 126/500.
|
Primary Examiner: Jones; Larry
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gore; Gregory J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A modular fireplace constructed from the assemblage of individual
interlocking masonry sections, comprising:
a base;
a firebox assembly resting on said base and containing a plurality of
vertically extending tiers, each tier having separate masonry sections
which are joined at their side edges forming the corners of the firebox,
each corner joint including vertically-extending interlocking jaws formed
in the side edges of said sections, said tiers being of different heights
from one another;
a smoke chamber, comprising load-bearing vertical sections; and
means abutting the sides of said vertical sections for enclosing said smoke
chamber without supporting the load which rests upon said vertical
sections.
2. The fireplace of claim 1 wherein said smoke chamber has four sides,
front and rear load-bearing vertical sides, and left and right inclined
non-load-bearing sides.
3. The fireplace of claim 2 wherein said sections further include dowel
holes formed therein for receiving lifting dowels, said holes being
substantially horizontal, but angled upward as they pass through the
outside faces of said sections.
4. The fireplace of claim 3 wherein said sections are cast masonry blocks,
comprised of a material which can safely withstand chimney temperatures.
5. The fireplace of claim 4 wherein said sections are composed of the
casting ingredients of Luminate cement, perlite aggregate, and water.
6. The fireplace of claim 5 wherein said casting composition materials are
mixed in the following volumetric portions: one part of Luminate cement to
four parts of perlite aggregate to 0.4 parts of water.
7. A modular fireplace constructed from the assemblage of individual
interlocking masonry sections, comprising:
a base;
a firebox assembly resting on said base and containing a plurality of
vertically extending tiers, each tier having separate masonry sections
which are joined at their side edges forming the corners of the firebox;
a plurality of dowel holes formed through the outer faces of said sections
for receiving lifting dowels, said holes being angled upward through said
sections; and
a plurality of loose dowels dimensioned to fit within said dowel holes,
such that when inserted into said holes, said dowels form retractable
lifting handles for assembly personnel to lift and place said masonry
sections.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to modular fireplaces, and more particularly
to a modular fireplace which employs precast sections having interlocking
planar sections.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
Modular fireplace construction of an open-type fireplace commonly found in
residential structures is well-known. The advantages of modular fireplace
construction and installation are primarily in the reduced cost of the
precast fireplace sections, which can be molded into smaller and lighter
pieces, than ordinary masonry block. There are also cost savings realized
through reduced labor required for construction.
The following U.S. patents describe various types of modular open fireplace
construction. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,807 to Newsome; U.S. Pat.
No. 4,984,562 to Pederson et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,208 to Pitha; and
U.S. Pat. No. 1,069,944 to Haggard. While the above-mentioned modular
fireplaces have an advantage over free-built structures, the prior art
fireplaces are difficult to assemble because the individual sections are
not easy to handle and many of the pieces appear almost identical. Thus,
assemblers are often confused about finding the proper location for the
various pieces. Furthermore, the various sections of the modular
fireplaces are made from ordinary masonry materials which require an
additional flue liner to be inserted into the chimney area after
completion. The above-mentioned problems with the prior art have been
solved by the applicant's novel modular fireplace construction, assembly
method, and material composition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The applicant has devised a unique fireplace construction that saves labor
and installation time by providing sections with different shapes and
dimensions, which make it readily apparent to the assembler where the
individual sections are located. Simplicity and ease of assembly is also
achieved by the use of easy to handle sections. Because the modular
precast sections are of lighter weight than masonry block and are
interlocking, the present fireplace may be free-standing. Prior art
fireplaces are required to be set in a cement base. The fireplace
construction will now be described.
Built on a large planar base, three rectangular sections are located around
three sides of the base creating two lateral sides and the back of the
firebox. The completed firebox is comprised of three vertically extending
tiers, each tier being successively shorter in height. The height
difference among the tiers helps identify which pieces belong on a given
tier. The tiers are joined by interlocking jaws which connect the
individual sections of each tier at the corners. The outer sides of the
firebox are not angled and offer a solid load-bearing base for support of
the smoke chamber and chimney above. The firebox is completed with the
addition of a face plate, which is located across the top front of the
firebox. With the face plate in place, the top tier of the firebox becomes
a completed rectangular collar with four sections interlocking at all four
corners. It will be understood that by these mechanical relations, the
interlocking sections of the firebox withstand the vertical forces from
the weight of the smoke chamber and chimney portions above without
separating.
The next portion of the fireplace is the smoke chamber which rests upon the
firebox. The function of the smoke chamber is to interconnect the large
mouth at the top of the firebox with the much smaller chimney opening.
This is accomplished by way of two tapered lateral sides. Deviating from
the prior art, however, all four sides of the upward extending smoke
chamber are not angled inward to provide the required taper. In the
present device, only the front and rear sections are vertically standing
and are load-bearing, while angled side sections are non-load-bearing.
Because the front and rear faces of the smoke chamber are vertical and
support all of the weight of the chimney above, there is no need for
complicated joinery at the corners of the smoke chamber. In the present
device, the corners of the smoke chamber faces are in simple end-to-side
abutment without any interlocking tongues or grooves. This makes
insulation of the smoke chamber extremely simple and makes the smoke
chamber sections readily identifiable, since the firebox sections are both
of a different shape and have interlocking jaws at the corners. The front
and rear face of the smoke chamber are comprised of four trapezoidal
sections on each face. The left and right side sections are one piece and
are rectangular.
In an alternate embodiment, the basic fireplace construction described
above may be supplemented by the addition of a second tier to the smoke
chamber, which includes two vertically-standing trapezoidal front and rear
sections and two angled rectangular side sections. This second tier
includes horizontal top and bottom faces which rest directly upon the
opening of the top of the smoke chamber.
In yet another embodiment, the firebox construction is the same, however,
the smoke chamber has three vertically-standing sides and only one sloping
face. This construction is particularly useful for installations where the
fireplace is located adjacent an existing vertical heater flue on one
side.
In order to simplify the overall construction of the fireplace and chimney,
the modular sections have been cast from a composition which can withstand
the extreme heat-resistance required of the chimney, yet provide the
structural strength and lack of brittleness required of the precast
components. Cast from this type of material, the completed fireplace does
not require the addition of a flue liner, thus providing further cost
savings in both labor and materials. In order to speed assembly of the
above-described fireplaces, sections include apertures for receiving
handling dowels. The dowel apertures are formed at an upward angle to the
outside face of the individual sections and receive dowels which enable
the assemblers to easily lift and accurately place each modular section
into position during assembly. The angle of the dowel holes also indicates
the top and bottom surfaces of each section, since all the holes are
inclined upward in the finished assembly.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a modular
fireplace construction with individual cast elements which are easy to
identify and locate. It is a further object of the present invention to
provide a modular fireplace with precast sections of a composition which
eliminates the need for an additional flue liner. It is a further object
of the present invention to provide a modular fireplace with precast
modular sections with means which permit the ease of handling of heavy
sections.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily
apparent by the foregoing drawings and description of the preferred
embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top right front isometric view of the present invention in its
assembled condition.
FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view showing the various sections which
comprise the firebox portion of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the present invention in which three
of the four sides of the smoke chamber are vertical and only one side is
angled.
FIG. 4 are isometric views of modular sections showing handling dowels
inserted therein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, a complete assembled fireplace of the present
invention is shown. A substantially rectangular firebox at the bottom
supports a tapered smoke chamber which has angled sides and rests on top
of the firebox. Beginning at the bottom, base A is a flat rectangular
planar piece that supports the fireplace. Upon the base A rests three
elements of the first firebox tier sections B, D and C. Upon these
sections rests a second tier slightly shorter in height which includes
side sections E and F. The third and final tier to the firebox is the
shortest of the three firebox tiers and is comprised of sections K, I, J
and L. The precise interlocking and shape of the firebox sections is shown
in FIG. 2.
The tapered smoke chamber is constructed from a front face M having four
trapezoidal sections with a notch on the sides to accommodate the abutting
edge of two tapered side sections, section 0 on the right side and an
identical opposing section on the left side (not shown). The rear face of
the smoke chamber N includes four trapezoidal pieces, similar to the front
face M, except that they are not notched at the corners, but rather they
are straight-cut pieces at the edges which abut the planar inner face of
the side sections, such as 0 on the right side. It will be readily
understood, therefore, that although the front and back faces of the smoke
chamber M and N are almost similar in construction, each piece is a
different shape because the front face sections are notched and the rear
face sections are not.
The smoke chamber may be extended and further tapered by sections Q, R, P-1
and O-1, dimensioned and arranged as shown in FIG. 1.
Referring now to FIG. 2, more detail of the corner joints of the firebox
are shown. Bottom firebox side sections B and C have a vertically
extending wedge-shaped jaw at the rear which receives complementary and
interlocking wedge-shaped rear arms which extend from the top of the lower
most rear firebox section D. Next, middle tier firebox side sections E and
F rest upon side sections B and C, and sections E and F also contain
wedge-shaped notching which receives abutting rear pieces G and H. Next,
the upper tier of the firebox is comprised of interlocking sections I, K L
and J with vertically extending wedge-shaped joints at each corner. It
will be readily understood that because of the vertically extending
wedge-shaped joinery that the downward force of weight added to the
firebox will strengthen the interlocking of the firebox sections.
The firebox sections are extremely robust compared to prior art modular
sections and, thus, provide a solid and much stronger assembly. A typical
dimension for the width of the sections is 4", however, it will be readily
apparent from FIG. 2 that side sections E, B, F and C are thicker at the
rear. This provides both a tapering of the firebox from the front
converging to the rear, and also makes the bottommost sections which must
support more of the weight to be stronger. Because of the increased size
and weight of some of the sections, holes are precast in each section to
receive handling dowels 25 which are shown in FIG. 4 inserted through
upper tier face plate I and lower side section C. These dowels facilitate
the lifting and placing of the sections.
Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment of the fireplace invention
is shown. The orientation and structure of the firebox sections remain the
same, however, the smoke chamber has three vertical sides and only one
inclined side. This embodiment is particularly useful if the fireplace is
to be fitted adjacent an existing vertical heater flue on one side of the
fireplace. As seen in this figure, sections O and S continue the vertical
side surface directly above the left lateral side of the firebox. The
opposing lateral side sections X, T and P form the non-load-bearing angled
side which tapers the top of the firebox down to the size of the chimney
opening at the top represented by the four uppermost sections V, W, U and
X as shown in this figure.
Referring to FIG. 4, holes may be precast in some of the heavier sections
or those which require greater lifting. The dowel holes are angled upward
as they pass through the casting from the outside face 27 of the sections.
Handling dowels 25, which may be simple steel rods, can be inserted into
the holes and used as lifting handles for lifting sections into place.
Thereafter, the dowels are removed and the holes are filled with cement.
The dowel holes are not only advantageous for fitting the dowel handles as
described, but also once the correct inside or outside face of the section
is determined, the angulation of the dowel holes will further indicate the
top and bottom of the section because the holes are all angled in the
upward direction when in their proper assembled location.
The materials used for casting the various sections herein described are an
important feature of the present invention. The composition of the cast
sections is a similar material from which flue liners are cast. This
material is particularly heat resistant and is normally added to the usual
fireplace masonry in the chimney or flue area. The typical mix for casting
the sections of the present invention is one part Luminate cement; four
parts perlite aggregate; and 0.4 parts water, mixed in these volumetric
portions. With the present fireplace, since all of the sections are cast
of this material, the entire firebox and smoke chamber are extremely heat
resistant and, therefore, no separate flue liner is required. This saves
both the cost of an additional flue liner and the additional labor of
installing it.
It should be understood that the above description discloses specific
embodiments of the present invention and are for purposes of illustration
only. There may be other modifications and changes obvious to those of
ordinary skill in the art which fall within the scope of the present
invention which should be limited only by the following claims and their
legal equivalents.
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